Fall is a time of transition, and the evidence is all around us. Leaves change color and fall down, our schedules shift to include more time indoors, and activities go from adventurous to cozy. If you or someone you love is in recovery from an eating disorder, this season may pose more problems than comfort. It can be helpful to have a handful of tips at your disposal to stay strongly rooted in recovery this autumn.
By: Korie Born
Read on to hear ten different ways to make this fall a season of thriving in your recovery.
Establish a Support Network
Surround yourself with people who understand your journey and can provide support, like friends, family, and your treatment team.
Maintain a Regular Eating Schedule
Sticking to a consistent meal plan is vital to maintain stability whenever possible. Your treatment team can help you make an eating routine in any shifts in your day-to-day this fall.
Practice Mindful Eating
Whenever possible, eat mindfully to take stock of how your food makes you feel. Eating this way can be a valuable tool for managing disordered thoughts.
Avoid Food-Based Activities If Necessary
If food-related activities are challenging, it’s okay to suggest non-food-related activities to spend time with loved ones while still stress-free.
Choose Clothing with Care
As the seasons change, that can mean wearing clothes we haven’t worn in a long time. Try to find clothing that you feel comfortable and confident in, regardless of current fashion trends.
Practice Self-Care
This could involve meditation, journaling, walking in nature, or other activities that make you feel good.
Avoid Diet Talk
Fall can mean that people discuss dieting or body size more frequently as they ramp up for harmful holiday-season diets. It’s okay to remove yourself from these conversations or change the subject.
Limit Social Media
Diet culture and unrealistic images often overload social media. Take breaks from these platforms or curate your feed to include body-neutral, recovery-supportive content.
Prioritize Your Recovery
Remember that your recovery is the most important thing, regardless of season or situation. Staying in touch with your treatment team and keeping up with regular meetings and appointments can help keep recovery a priority.
Celebrate Your Successes
It’s important to acknowledge your progress, no matter how small it might seem. You deserve to celebrate each victory! Consider keeping track of your recovery wins with your treatment team or with a loved one to look back on during hard times.
If you need support in eating disorder recovery this fall, BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™ is here to help. BALANCE’s expert treatment professionals are ready to help you thrive this autumn and beyond with our Fall Transition Daytime IOP Program. Get compassionate care, expert guidance, and support when you need it most, all without sacrificing your evening commitments. Ready to dive into the rest of the year with recovery at the forefront of your mind? Reach out to our admissions team today.
Contact our admissions staff here to set up a free consultation call to see what BALANCE can do to support your healing journey.
This post was written by BALANCE Blog Contributor, Korie Born (she/her).
Korie Born is an educator turned Intuitive Eating Counselor with passion for eating disorder treatment and recovery. She earned an undergraduate degree in French at Sonoma State University, then after several years teaching middle school French and English, pursued a Master’s Degree in Education specializing in the overlap between eating disorders and education. Korie has worked to ensure that students and her Intuitive Eating Counseling clients feel supported in making diet culture and disordered eating a thing of the past. As an educator, she honed her content creation skills to share about Intuitive Eating with students in different settings, and through curriculum development for multiple anti-diet and self-esteem boosting curricula for nonprofits in the field.
